Almost Angelic Chapters One - Five
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Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
b Among Us b Angels walk among us all,
There to catch us before we fall.
Through acts of kindness all around, Their love waits to be found.
Gently wiping our tears away, As we face another day.
Angels hold on to our hands
When no one else understands. God sent Angels for everyone,
To guide us ‘til our work is done. They turn struggle into glory, Taking away all the worry. Faith helps us to believe,
The love that we receive. God sent his Angels
To take away our troubles!
b Sharon Cutshall b 2
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
Contents Preface The Beginning
Chapter One
Party Time
Chapter Two
The Photographer
Chapter Three
The Conversion
Chapter Four
London City
Chapter Five
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The Story Preface
ust like everybody else on this planet, I wonder about life. I think about what the meaning of life on this planet is, and why we are actually here. I try not to see things this way, but it‟s hard not to. Sometimes, I feel like I am here for a reason, and everybody else is obsolete. Like, I am the lead actor, the world is my stage, and everybody on the planet are the supporting actors, just to aid me in my way to greatness.
J
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Though this seems highly unlikely, I still think this is the destiny I am here for. As I said, I try not to think of myself this way, and see the world as my stage, but when you think you‟re destined for greatness, you get stuck in that mind set, and only aim to achieve that goal. I think, though, before I can achieve this greatness, whatever it may be, I will have to earn it, as every hero, business man, or any other thing I could achieve. I do not believe I should just be giving this gift, I believe I should be put through trials, to prove I‟m worthy of this ultimate prize, my dreams, my destiny...
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The Beginning Chapter One
I
awoke to the buzzing of my alarm clock, and an empty bed. “9:30am? I should still be sleeping!” I whined, as I got out of bed, reluctantly.
My room looked like a typical student‟s room. Lots of clothes on the floor, a brand new guitar that I can‟t play in the corner, and a very bad paint job. I couldn‟t wait to get out of this place. The flat was too small, and I owned far too much stuff to keep in that cramped space. But with money tight, and nowhere else to go, I was stuck there for a while. 6
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I put on the first pair of jeans that I could find, and put on an un-ironed, scruffy looking black shirt, and looked at the tatty bit of paper next to my bed;
“Leon, Sorry I’m not here when you wake up, I promised to meet Chantelle and Sarah this morning
at
9.
Don’t
forget,
you
have
an
interview at 11. I set the alarm for 9:30, so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready and
out. I’ll see you when I get home, I love you xoxoxox” Stephanie, typical. I don‟t know why she leaves a note literally every time she goes out without me. I had to get ready for an interview for 11am, so I started to get ready. After about an hour, I was ready to leave. I had to catch a bus that only comes once an hour, at half past the hour, and it was already 10:25am. I had five minutes to walk a fifteen minute walk. I dislike running, so much it‟s unreal, but I‟m not out of shape, nor am I unfit, but running seems like a chore to run, yet, because of my horrible time keeping, I will have to run, once again, so I set out and left. I missed the bus by seconds. A display of my bad luck. This will mean I‟ve missed the interview for a job I was hoping to get, a placement, wanted by a good number of people in the town, to work in a photography studio, with a professional photographer. This would have been an amazing opportunity for me to get into that industry early on. I knew that by missing this interview, I gave up my placement. I started to walk home, dragging my 7
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feet slowly. I reached my house, finally, after half an hour of walking a fifteen minute walk. Stephanie was back now, and her friend Chantelle was there. Stephanie is a beautiful girl, her short, bright red hair, was especially vivid in the sunlight coming in from the windows, and contrasted highly with her bright blue eyes. The stunning blue, sequined cocktail dress she was wearing was normal dress code for her. I met her in 2005, at a party my friend was hosting. We got talking, had a little too much to drink and before I knew what was going on, we where sharing a bed. And we‟ve been together ever since then. Her friend Chantelle was a strange girl. With long black hair, and a pale face, the contrast makes a strange, but flattering combination. “Hey!!” Stephanie said, more enthusiastically than needed. “You‟ve met Chantelle before right?” Her voice is lush. It‟s gentle, and smooth. I suppose it could be compared to the feeling of silk on your fingertips. “Yeah, I have. It‟s been a while since I saw her though.” I replied. The words where slurred and quite, the result of going to be at 5:15am, and waking up at 9:30am. “I was just telling Chantelle about the party we‟re having here tomorrow night.” Stephanie started blabbering. “I thought we where going to be having it at Mike‟s. He has much more room than us. And we have more breakable things than him” I started whining. “Mike called, said he can‟t have it there now. His parents aren‟t going to see his grandma, so we‟ll have to have it here.” She explained. 8
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“Right, right. I guess we have no choice. I have an exam in the morning though, so you‟ll have to clean the mess up” I told her. I hated cleaning. “I don‟t mind cleaning, it passes the time I spend doing nothing.” “That‟s alright then.” I said, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. I noticed that Chantelle hadn‟t said a word yet. Normally, she‟s very talkative. “I guess you missed your interview.” different voice said. Chantelle.
A
“Yeah, I missed the bus by seconds. I wanted that job a lot.” I replied. “That‟s s shame, should have left earlier.” She said, pointing out the obvious. “Well, I was just about to go now anyway. I‟ll see both of you tomorrow night. Take care” Chantelle walked out of the door, and noisily clambered down the stairs to the front door. The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, doing the usual playing of video games, talking with Stephanie, eating, and then going to bed. I woke up even more tired than yesterday. I got out of bed slowly and quietly, because Stephanie was still asleep on. I knew I‟d have to spend the day revising for the test I have tomorrow. I looked at the alarm, 8:30am. I‟d only had 5 hours sleep. I should start going to bed at reasonable times. I headed right for the kitchen to make myself some coffee, before I started to revise all day. I wanted to get right on with if after that, but, as always, I couldn‟t find my laptop, due to the poor state of 9
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my room. I dug around for it for about half hour before I finally found it, under my bed. “Why the hell is this here?” I muttered to myself, slightly confused. I set it on the work desk I got specifically for the laptop to be used at, so I wouldn‟t lose it. I‟m good at wasting money. I spent 6 hours straight revising. It was hard to keep focus on something as boring as physics, but it had to be done. I browsed the internet for a while, checking e-mails, social networks, things like that. I searched for jobs in the field of work I‟m most interested in, Photography. I found a lot of results, but none in the town I live in. Luckily though, there are many jobs opening in London, and I‟m going to be moving there with Stephanie when we both finish college this year, so she can study Music Technology at university. I‟m not going to university though. I want the chance to jump right into the industry. So with the breathtaking beauty of a city like London, I can build a portfolio that‟s impressive enough to get me a job. I finally came off my computer, to realize that I‟d not seen Stephanie all day, since I got up anyway. I went into our bedroom, and she was on her laptop, writing up an essay. She looked absolutely stunning; wearing just a red, short cut top, which only covers the top half of her torso, and denim short shorts, which show off her immensely sexy legs. Although any normal person would confuse her for like a model for a short shorts advert, this is what she would describe as “dressing like a slob”. I sat next to her, put my arm around her waist, and we sat and talked until it was time for the party.
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Party Time Chapter Two
I
thought it‟d be best to get the party food sorted out before everyone got here, so I ordered some pizza‟s, and put some chips in the oven. I cleaned the house, for the most part, and then I heard the door bell go. I got up to answer the door, I could hear the voices of people in the hallway outside of my flat. I opened the door to twenty people, all armed with so many different brands of alcohol, a wine shop would be jealous. I said some awkward hello‟s to the people as they entered. The pizza‟s had arrived, the party was jumping, and most of the people where drunk, including Stephanie. I hadn‟t drank much, due to the fact I had exams in the morning, and I‟d been revising all day, to get drunk and forget all I‟d done in the day would have been pure idiocy, so I decided to go for a walk. 12
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I went to the park, to clear my head, but as is always the case on a Thursday night, people where in the park, they can‟t have been much older than sixteen/seventeen, drinking cheap cider, and pretending to be drunk. I made my way over to a bench, out of the way of the „children‟, as I refer to them as. After about 10 minutes, a girl sat next to me on the bench, and started to read a book. I couldn‟t see her face properly in the dull light of the street lamps, but she seems to have a nice slim figure, and long blonde hair. “Hi.” She Chelsea.”
said,
unexpectedly.
“My
name‟s
“Nice to meet you, I‟m Leon.” I replied, with slight disinterest in my voice. “I saw you at the party upstairs. Why did you leave?” She sounded genuinely confused as to why I wasn‟t getting drunk, like everyone else. “Don‟t you drink?” “Oh, no. I do drink. It‟s just I have an exam tomorrow, and I can‟t afford to fail it.” I replied, still just as uninterested, but I didn‟t want to be rude and not answer her. “Oh right, that makes sense I suppose.” It sounded like she‟d noticed the lack of interest in my voice, and was getting bored. “So why are you here, rather then being upstairs getting drunk?” I asked, to keep to conversation flowing. “I‟m waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up, He‟s late, as usual.” She said, sounded more annoyed than anything else now. Her phone answered.
started
ringing,
so, 13
naturally,
she
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“Hello? What you mean? Oh come on! This is stupid, you this every time! Right. Well, I‟ll see you later. Bye.” She seemed pretty angry, I guessed wasn‟t picking her up.
her boyfriend
“He‟s not going to pick me up, say‟s he has „some work to do‟.” She told me, angrily. “How far away do you live?” “It‟s only a half hour walk, I‟ll be fine.” “How about I walk back with you?” “You‟d do that? Thanks a lot!” Her mood seemed to pick up almost instantly. “Yeah, yeah, I have nothing else to do anyway.” The walk to her place was quiet. She only spoke to me when she was telling me what way to go, after about half hour, we‟d reached her place. “Here it is. Want to come in for some coffee?” she asked, politely. “I‟d love to, but I think Stephanie will be wondering where I am by now.” “You’re Steph‟s Leon? Oh, I‟m sorry. I‟d better let you get going.” She sounded startled, scared almost, like she‟d done something wrong. I guessed that she was Stephanie‟s guest, as I didn‟t know her, but, I don‟t believe she could be scared of her. What reason would she have to fear Stephanie? Stephanie is a kind soul, I‟ve been with her long enough to know that she would never hurt anybody. As Chelsea walked into her house, I still stood at the top of the steps to her door, confused about what she said to me. I figured 14
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I had to get back home, I needed to get some sleep, ready for my exam in the morning. Because I was trying to decipher what she meant about Stephanie, it took me twice as long to get back home. When I got back the party was just starting to end. Out of the twenty people who had turned up, only seven where still there. I next to my friend Tony. Tony is a good guy, he does anything for his friends, and goes out of his way to help out a friend in need. Though, when he‟s drunk, he‟s no help to anyone, other than himself. Stephanie was clambering about in our room, so I went in to talk to her. Just as I opened the door, I saw a metal object flying toward me. I couldn‟t see what it was, I ducked before I got hit in the face. “Where the hell have you been!?” She yelled, I‟d never seen her angry like this before. “Whoa! Hold on! What have I...” I tried to ask what was going on, but she threw something else at me. It looked like the clock that I stand on the dresser. “I saw you with that slag!” getting angrier, and louder.
she
shouted,
“Hey! Calm down, let me explain!” I tried to tell her. Between yelling and throwing things, I kept asking her to calm down, and after about 10 minutes of this, she had ran out of things to throw, and started to calm down. “What have I done?” I asked, again. “I saw you in the park, with Chelsea” She said, not really giving an explanation. 15
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“We where just chatting, That‟s all.” I tried to keep her calm. “What about when you disappeared?” She asked. “Her boyfriend was supposed to be picking her up, but he made some excuse and told her he couldn‟t go. So I offered to walk her home, that‟s all that happened.” I explained, hoping she‟d stay calm. “Oh, Well, Ok.” She seemed to be a little speechless for a second. “but why did you leave the party anyway?” she was calm now. “I was being offered too much alcohol, I need to stay sober tonight, for my exam in the morning.” I said, making light conversation. “Right, well it‟s 12:30am, so you‟ll have to get some sleep. I think I heard the others leave, but I‟ll just go check.” She said. Her calm, silky voice gave the effect that nothing had just happened. I got undressed for bed, and climbed into it. I heard Stephanie talking to someone in the living room, then she came back into our room. “Do you mind if Tony stay‟s here tonight?” She asked politely. “No problem, as long as he doesn‟t wake me, it‟s cool.” I told her. She went back out, to tell him he could stay I guess, then came back. She started to undress to get in bed with me. It was hard to focus on going to sleep while I had an unbelievably sexy woman undressing in front of me. And even though she does the same thing every night, I still couldn‟t believe how sexy she is. 16
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“Sleep well, Good luck for tomorrow.” She said, softly. She kissed my forehead, and climbed into bed next to me. I got to sleep faster than is usual for me, and drifted into a dream. I dreamt that I was kissing Chelsea, in the park, on the bench we where sat at. Stephanie walked past us, looking more stunning than usual, but she didn‟t look at us, she didn‟t take any notice that I was kissing another girl. This was the main format for the dream, but we where in different places every time. My flat, by the beach, on the high street, at the train station, and every time, Stephanie walked past, wearing the same green cocktail dress, and not looking at us. I woke up at 7:23am, seven minutes before my alarm was due to go off, and feeling more refreshed than I normally would. I got up and dressed, then turned the alarm clock off before it woke Stephanie. I straightened my long black hair, brushed my teeth, drank some coffee, made some breakfast, and packed all I needed for my final exam. It was 8:30am exactly when I left, It was only as fifteen minute walk to the college from my place, so I had plenty of time to spare. Halfway to the college, it started raining. “Great, this is just what I need.” I moaned. I hate rain, always have, so I picked up the pace, so I wouldn‟t get so wet. I eventually reached the college, five minutes earlier than I expected to be there, and twenty minutes before my exam started. I sat in the common room, got out some books, and stared to skim through the notes I made yesterday. The bell rang for the students to enter the exam room, so I grabbed my things, and walked to the final test I‟ll take at this college. 17
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The test lasted about two hours, and it was a long two hours. I had finished 30 minutes into the exam, and I wasn‟t allowed to leave until the time had finished. During the exam, I noticed Chelsea, from the night before, sitting across the room from me. It was then I got a real look at her face. She had very blonde hair, peachy skin, and a pixie-like face, the exact opposite of what attracts me to a girl. When we where told we could leave, I rushed to the exit, and Chelsea was standing at the door waiting for me. “Hey! I didn‟t know you took physics!” said, she sounded almost excited.
she
“Yeah, it‟s just another A level to me though, I‟m not interested in this stuff.” My attempt at making small talk. “Yeah, same here, I wanted to do a full time hair dressing course, but I didn‟t get the right grades for it, so I had to do A levels instead.” I walked with her to the entrance, where she was greeted by her boyfriend. “Hey, Leon, This is Sam, my boyfriend.” She told me. Sam was a big guy. He was much taller then six feet, and was well built, he must use the gym quite often. He was well tanned, and had a haircut so short the hair may as well have not been there. “Nice to meet you Sam.” I said, just to be polite, but the disinterest in my voice was clear. “Chels, We‟ll have to get going now, I have to be home by twelve. Sorry I can‟t stay and chat Leon, I‟m in a hurry.” 18
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His voice was rough, the sort of voice you‟d expect to hear on a drug dealer. “No problem, some other time maybe?” My voice still plagued with disinterest. He just nodded once, and walked away from me with Chelsea. When I got home, Stephanie had cleaned the entire flat, even the mess that was in the bedroom. I looked on the table in the living room. Another note from her; “Leon, I’ve gone shopping for some food, I think
you’ll have just missed me. There’s a number for
the pizza place on the fridge, and some money with this note, in case you haven’t got your own. Can you take the rubbish out for me, I didn’t have time to do that, sorry. Love you xoxoxox” “Sure, sure.” I muttered to myself. I took the bags out, and washed the few dishes that remained in the kitchen. I was happy that I‟d finally finished college. This meant I will no longer have to revise. So I picked up my digital SLR, a spare battery, and went out to improve my photography portfolio.
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Photographer Chapter Three
had to get the bus to the best place to take some pictures, so I headed for the bus station. I had taken the money Stephanie left for me, and a bottle of water, this is all I‟d need for the day. I got on the number 10 bus to Lincoln, an ideal place for photography, with all the tall, Victorian buildings. I wandered around the city centre, taking pictures of things I found interesting, abnormal, and thinks I liked the look of. I started to walk to the edges of the city, to the small estates scattered over the place.
I
I spent all day in Lincoln, taking as many pictures of the most obscure things I could find. Things like 20
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odd looking bricks, birds in a water fountain, gum on the back of a bus seat, shop signs, and much more. At about 4pm, I knew it was time to go home, I was sure Stephanie would be wondering where I was by then. I called her to let her know I‟m ok and I‟ll be home soon. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled her number. “Hello?” Her voice always sounds worse on the phone. “Hey Stephanie, it‟s Leon. I‟m just letting you know I‟ll be back home in about an hour.” “Oh, ok.” She sounded surprised for some reason. “Where have you been all day anyway?” “I went to Lincoln to take build up my portfolio. I thought it‟d make sense to get a good portfolio before we go to London, right?” “Yeah, yeah, I guess it does.” She didn‟t sound very interested. I thought I heard someone whispering, it sounded like that person said “who is it?”, but I couldn‟t be too sure, so I asked her. “Is someone there with you?” I asked. “No, why you ask?” she didn‟t sound convincing. “I thought I heard whispering, that‟s all.” “No, nobody whispered. I‟ve been here since about 1pm, not had any visitors.”
alone
I could tell she was lying instantly. I know the tone of her voice slightly changes when she lies. But I let her believe I believed her.
21
Almost Angelic “Oh right, then.”
Ant Gray ok,
could
be
people
on
the
bus
The bus was empty, other than for me and the driver. “Yeah, probably that.” Still lying. “I have to go now anyway, how long did you say you‟ll be?” “About fifty minutes, maybe a little less.” “Ok, I‟ll see you later then” I heard the whispers again. “I really have to go, my phone‟s about to die.” Lying again. “Bye, I love you.” “I lov....” The phone went dead. I tried not to think that someone else was with her, though I knew there was, without a doubt. I knew this day would come eventually, I knew she was for to sexy to not be able to have any guy she wanted, and I was lucky to be the guy she fell in love with, but I knew that was all about to change. Just as I was getting lost in thought, my phone started ringing, so I pulled it out of my pocket and answered it. “Hello?” I said, curiously. “Hey Leon!” I recognised the voice instantly. “It‟s Chelsea!” “Oh, Hi.” number.
I
didn‟t
remember
giving
her
my
“You‟re probably wondering how I got your number, right.” She said, in her cheery voice. “You‟re a mind reader.” I said, sarcastically. “I got it from Tony. He‟s such a nice guy.” She told me. 22
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“Yeah, he is.” I wondered what she was calling me for. “Oh, I just called you to ask what you‟re doing tomorrow.” She said, could she actually read my mind? “I was going to spend the day with Stephanie, but I‟m not sure if that‟s still on to be honest.” I told her. “Why, what‟s wrong?” She asked, an attempt at comforting I guessed. “It‟s too complicated; I‟m going on myself.” I lied.
not
sure
what‟s
“If you ever want to talk, I‟m here for you, just give me a call.” “Thanks, that means a lot.” “I have to go now anyway, talk to you soon. Bye” The phone went dead. The bus came to a halt, in the middle of the country side. The driver approached me. “Sorry son, the ride ends here.” His voice was gentle, and soft, but what he said sounded more like a threat than a statement. “I‟m sorry, what was that?” I asked, confused. “The ride ends here. I‟m sorry, but this is for your own good, and the good of the rest of the world.” He sounded proud of himself, but his words made no sense. He put his hands in his deep looking pockets, and pulled out what seemed to be an old mobile phone. 23
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The type that had the aerial on the top of it. He pointed it toward me, aerial end facing me. “What do you me-” I was wrong. The mobile phone was actually a taser. The buttons he was clicking, I would assume, where the buttons to function it. I felt the shock go right through my body, and I blacked out.
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The Conversion Chapter Four
could hear the beeping of a machine, in sync with my heart beat. Am I in hospital? I thought to myself. I tried to move, but I couldn‟t, my body ached all over.
I
“His name is Leon. I found him last night, beaten and dying in the streets.” A male voice explained, and lied. “I think he will be perfect for our objective.” “What will happen if he turns on us when the process is complete?” A female voice asked.
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“I have the tools to destroy him if it is necessary. But I don‟t think it will. I‟ve been watching this one personally; his good will is what makes this one special.” “What if he declines the offer?” the female voice said. “Why would you take the chance of converting him before he knows his objective?” “I know this will work, I have a good feeling about this one.” “You said that about the last three Vaughn! Of all the people, I thought that you would understand my point.” I guessed Vaughn was the name of the male who was speaking. “I do, but we‟re running out of time, and I have to get this done.” “I know there is no time to spare, and everything needs to be done as fast as possible. But taking risks like this can be very dangerous. Even you know that!” “I know, I know.” Vaughn agreed. “But, I have no time at all to spare, asking him would have taken too much time, and if he refused, I would have to find someone who is just as perfect for the job. Do you not see Carmen, this guy is perfect.” “I hope you‟re right Vaughn.” The female sighed, and I heard foot steps walking away from me. A door creaked, and the footsteps got quieter, and quieter. I felt a sharp pain in my left arm. “Don‟t worry, everything will be fine.” Vaughn whispered in my ear. 26
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I lost all feeling in my body, and fell into a deep slumber. I woke up to the sound of panicked voices from the street, and an empty bed. I rolled to the edge of my bed, but I over shot it and fell off. “Leon! Look!” A familiar male voice said. I looked up, Tony stood in the doorway of my room jabbing his finger at the window. “Look!” He repeated, and pointed finger toward the window again.
his
long
“What is it?” I asked, whilst turning around. I was surprised by what I saw. I huge blimp was in the street, the tail end was just outside of my window “When did this happen?” I asked, confused. I‟d not heard anything fall in the night, and I would normally wake at the smallest bump in the night. I got dressed, and went outside to check out what was going on. It seemed like someone had landed it in the street, not one house had been touched, from what I could see. There where no markings that suggested a crash landing in the road either. I tried to think of when this could possibly have happened, but I didn‟t hear anything in the night. I couldn‟t think of a logical reason why there is a blimp in the street I live on. I was interrupted in my thought when my mobile phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket, and looked at the screen. “Withheld number calling” it stated. I didn‟t normally trust withheld numbers, but I answered it anyway. “Hello?” 27
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“Leon?” An unfamiliar voice asked. “Yeah, who‟s this?” I asked. “I will tell you in all due time. Do you know where you where last night?” I tried to remember. I know I hadn‟t had any alcohol, but I found it hard to remember where I was last night. I concentrated, blocking out all the shouting from the madness in the street. I couldn‟t focus right, or I had no memory of the night before. I focused on trying to remember the day, but that failed also. “Do you?” he asked again “No. I have no daytime either.”
idea.
I
can‟t
remember
the
“Perfect.” He said. “One more thing, does the name Vaughn mean anything to you at all?” He asked. “No, I don‟t know anybody called Vaughn.” “That is all. I will be in contact soon, when the time is right, and your time will come.” “What do yo-” The phone line went dead. I tried to think of someone with the name Vaughn. Vaughn The Menace? That can‟t be it. I couldn‟t think of a single person called Vaughn. I started heading back up the path to my house, when I head a soft female voice say Vaughn. I didn‟t know the voice of the female who spoke those words, yet it sounded familiar. I thought hard about the name Vaughn, but all I could think of was the female voice in my head saying the name, over and over. I 28
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gave up trying to get the information I wanted form my mind. I went inside to have a shower. By 5pm, the emergency services had removed the blimp from the street, and the chaos of the whole thing had died down. The local news crews had been up, and asked some questions, but I refused to talk to them, as I was confused about the whole thing myself. I went to bed early that night, around 10pm. I was still awake when Stephanie joined me, at 2am. I put my arms round her as she got into bed. “I thought you‟d be asleep by now.” She said, quietly. “I can‟t sleep. I keep thinking that the blimp in the street today was something to do with me.” I told her, just a quiet. “Why would it be? I‟m sure there‟s a reasonable explanation for it.” She knew her silky voice has a calming effect on me, I guess that‟s why she was speaking to me. “I know. But I feel somehow bound to it.” I was getting quieter. “I don‟t know how to stop this feeling. It‟s scaring me.” “Listen to me. It‟s not your fault. How could you be the one responsible for this crazy thing happening?” she sounded like she was almost pleading with me, to see it how she does, and her silky voice won me over. “I guess you‟re right. Thanks.” I kissed her forehead. “I love you.” “I love you too.” She whispered, as I drifted into unconsciousness.
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In the morning, I didn‟t feel as compelled to find out what had really happened yesterday. I guess Stephanie‟s words really did calm me down. I focused on the move we would be making in exactly two weeks time. “Can you believe we‟re moving to London in two weeks?” Stephanie asked me, as I slowly ate my breakfast. “No I can‟t, it‟s going to be great!” My response was muffled by the food in my mouth. “I really can‟t wait. I decided to take a trip down there tomorrow, to get some things sorted out.” She sounded excited. “I was wondering if you‟ll come with me, I hate travelling alone. “Yeah, sure I‟ll come. I have to sort some things out anyway.” “Great! I get some things packed for us both.” She said as she bounced into our bedroom. I rolled my eyes. “Have fun.” I said sarcastically. Two hours later, she‟d finished packing our things, and emerged from the bedroom. “What did you pack?” I asked, bewildered. “A few essentials.” She said, holding a suitcase that was full to the brim, by the look of it. “Stephanie, dear, you‟ve packed enough for a two week holiday. We‟re only going for a night in London.” “I know, I know. I just like to choose. Plus, I have your straighteners and all of my girl 30
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things too. I packed your clothes in a separate bag, because I had too many of mine in this one.” She said, with a huge smile on her face. “No worries. I like travelling light, though I know I‟ll be carrying your bag too.” “That‟s because you‟re a gentleman” she said, and winked at me. “Yeah, I guess you‟re right. I‟ll need to get some money from the bank too, I don‟t have enough cash on me to pay for the train.” “That‟s alright. There‟s an ATM just over from the train station, conveniently” “If it‟s working, every time I‟ve wanted to use that machine it‟s been broken.” “I‟m sure it‟ll be fine” I started planning out what I‟d do in London while Stephanie was sorting out our living arrangements. I searched for my laptop, having lost it again. I found it under the table I had for it, so I turned it on, and went onto Google Maps. I typed in „London‟ on the main search bar, and then typed „Photography‟ in the find a business bar. I looked at all the results, and visited some of the websites, to see if they could give me any details about any jobs they might have going. None of them where advertising, though I copied the addresses, and added them to a notes list on my phone. “Any luck?” Stephanie said, from behind me. I didn‟t know she was even there. “Not really. Got some addresses, them out when we get there.” “Well, good luck.” 31
I‟ll
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I stopped looking for places after about an hour, as I had enough addresses and phone numbers to last a lifetime. It had been a while since I last checked my e-mails, so I logged into my inbox, and had a sort through. “Free Viagra!”, or a variation of that, was the title of the first twenty three emails I had received. I sent them to the junk folder, and read the more important emails. One from an unknown sender caught my eye. “Leon, I must speak to you. Meet me outside of the book store at 5pm in the town centre on Saturday. I will be wearing a black jacket, and denim jeans, and have a bowler hat on. I have something urgent to tell you.” I thought it was a bit weird that I received an email, from who knows, that didn‟t explain what they actually wanted. I thought it would make sense to go see what he/she wanted. By the time I‟d finished IM‟ing people, and playing mind numbing games, it was 1am. So I thought it‟d make sense to get some sleep, as Stephanie will be eager to go as early as she can in the morning.
b
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London City Chapter Five
A
s is typical with trains, ours was late. I was waiting an extra half hour than what I should have been. But the train finally arrived, and we boarded.
The train ride took three hours, which I think is a long time to be sat on a train. After all the travelling, we finally arrived at London Victoria Station. “I need to get some things done right away. I thought we‟d be earlier than this.” She sounded like whatever needed doing was urgent. “I need some things doing too actually.” lied. “I‟ll meet you at the hotel.” “You remember the address right?” “Yeah, yeah, I have maps if I get lost.” “Okay, I‟ll see you later, I love you.” She kissed me. 33
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“I love you too.” She walked out of the train station, and out of sight. I watched her walk away, and I headed for the tube ticket office. I waited for thirty minutes before I got a ticket to Piccadilly. The tube was a fast way to travel, though ever time I use it, I feel uncomfortable. I thought this would be a good time to review my maps. I had circles points of interest with multicoloured marker pens, each colour corresponding to the activity noted in the legend I drew at the bottom of each map. This was what I had Indicated in the key; Red for photography shops, orange for train stations, blue for public toilets, and green for things for tourist attractions. I thought it‟d make sense to get the job hunting out of the way. I headed to a place called Portrait Photographer. It was only a forty five minute walk from the tube station. After taking some pictures of the city, whilst on my way, I reached my destination. I opened the glass doors and walked in. “Good afternoon sir, may I help you?” The man at the counter asked, politely. “Hi. I was wondering if you have any vacancies, or expect to have any within the next two weeks.” “Let me just check.” He typed into his computer on examined the screen thoroughly.
the
counter,
and
“You‟re in luck son. We do have one place going, but we have had some applications already, and as you can imagine, those people have a good portfolio, showing off their work.” “Do you think I‟d have a chance of getting it if I had an impressive portfolio?” 34
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“Sure, we believe in equal opportunities here. Every applicant gets a thorough looking at and examination of their work before we consider taking them. If you e-mail the address on this card,”– he handed me a business card –“I will look at your work and get back to you.” “I have a FlickR account, would you like the address to that instead?” I asked politely. “That would be much better. If you write it on this bit of paper,”-he handed me a small bit of paper and a black „vGrip‟ pen-“I‟ll have a look when I get some time, and let you know my decision.” “Thanks a address.
lot!”
I
said
as
I
wrote
down
my
I left the shop, and visited the next one on the map, a place called I Heart Studios. This was a fair distance from where I was stood, so I called a taxi number I had in my wallet, from my last visit to London. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, and pressed the call button in one swift movement. “Hello, Hoxton Car Services, how my I help?” The friendly voice said. “Hi, I‟d like a taxi from Portrait Photographer to I Heart Studios as soon as you can get one to me.” I heard some following it.
mumbling,
and
a
distorted
voice
“Is ten minutes good for you?” “That‟s perfect, thanks a lot!” The phone line went dead. I put my phone in my pocket, and waited for the taxi. I realized I hadn‟t 35
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given the shop keeper in this details, so I rushed back inside. “Sorry, I details.”
forgot
to
give
shop
my
contact
you
my
contact
“I was just wondering about that.” “If you call this number, you‟ll get through to me at anytime.” “Okay, thank you.” I rushed back outside, to see my taxi waiting. The ride to the next studio was shorter than I expected, I could have walked that distance. I had similar conversations with the owners of the next three places I visited. In all, the process of finding the places, and talking to the owners, took 4 hours. I had no time to visit tourist spots, so I followed the directions on one of my maps to the hotel I was staying at. “Good evening sir, may I help you?” The receptionist asked me, in a friendly voice. “I have a double room booked, under the name of Stryker.” “I have nothing on the compute, sir.” “It‟s spelt, S-T-R-Y-K-E-R” “Ah, we have a double night, is that right?”
room
booked
for
one
“Yeah, that‟s perfect.” “A Stephanie Mason has already checked in to the room, she said she‟s your girlfriend, is that right?” 36
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“Yeah, that‟s right.” “Okay, here is your key and room number. You are on the fourth floor, the elevators are just behind you.” “Thanks a lot. Good night.” “Good night sir.” I walked over to the elevators, and pressed the button to call it. The wait for the elevator was expectedly short. I took the elevator to the fourth floor, and searched for my room. “406, this is it.” I said to myself. I opened the door, greeted by Stephanie lying on the bed, looking exceptionally stunning. “Wow. You look amazing.” I complimented her. “Please, this.”
you‟ve
seen
me
looking
better
than
“Good point.” I agreed. “Aren‟t you going to kiss your beautiful girlfriend?” she said, and winked at me. “I think I just might.” I walked over to the bed, and climbed onto it. “Did you find what you where looking for?” She asked. “Yeah, I gave my FlickR link, and contact details, so I‟ll hopefully have a job for when we move down here.” She kissed my forehead. 37
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“That‟s good, I secured a job, so if you don‟t get one, we‟ll be good for a while.” “Nice one. Where‟s that at?” “A shop round the corner from the flat. I also got some decorators in to do the flat up. It‟s going to look amazing.” She kissed my lips. I put the TV on, just for background noise. “I‟m going in the shower.” She said. “ok, have fun.” Stephanie went into the bathroom, taking off her clothes as she went, rather than waiting until she was in the bathroom to do so. I flicked through the TV channels, and saw what was on the news. “A blimp was found in the street of a small rural town the other day, eye witnesses say the blimp appeared out of nowhere.” The news woman said. The news then played some recorded clips, of people who, by what I could tell, didn‟t live in the area of which they spoke of. “I saw a big flash of light, and a blimp appeared in the middle or the road!” some woman said. “I was walking down the road, and I saw a flash of light, crashing sound. Next thing I blimp in the middle of the voices man said.
at maybe 10:45am, and heard a loud knew, there was a road.” A hoarse
“Eye witnesses? Yeah, like hell they are.” I muttered to myself. 38
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“What was that?” A silk voice from the bathroom said. “The news, they where talking about the blimp that was in the street the other day. They just had on some eyewitnesses, though I‟ve never seen them people before in my life, and considering our street is never very busy, it seems highly unlikely that these people where there just by chance. Don‟t you agree?” “Yeah, probably paid them to act as eye witnesses, to give the people watching the news some explanation of what went on there, even though there is no explanation, and nobody knows what happened.” I thought about that for a moment. I knew for a fact that the blimp was in the street before 9am. I had already fallen asleep by the time Stephanie came out of the bathroom.
“Leon!” I was woken by the silk voice of Stephanie, and he soft hands that grasped my shoulders, shaking them. “Leon!” “I‟m awake. I‟m awake.” “We‟ve got to check out by 10am, it‟s already 9:30am.” “Right, let me get dressed, and my hair sorted. Half an hour is plenty of time.” I picked out the black shirt Stephanie had packed for me, and a pair of jeans, and put them on quickly. 39
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“So, what are we doing today?” “We‟re going doing.”
home,
unless
you
need
anything
“No, no. I‟m good, thanks.” “The next train is at 10:30am. If we get a taxi at 10 exactly, we‟ll make it in time.” “Have you already boo-” “Yeah, I used the number you wrote down for yesterday.” “Ok.” I picked out my hair straighteners, and my hair brush from Stephanie‟s bag. I ran the brush through my hair, to get it in a suitable way for straightening it. I put the red hot prongs to my black, shaggy hair, and started the process of straightening. “Right, I‟m done, let‟s get out of here.” I said as I put the things back in the bag. “Let‟s go!” We picked up out things and headed for the door. We checked out and jumped into the taxi that was waiting for us. “Where to?” “Piccadilly station” “Ok.” The ride in the taxi took 25 minutes. We just got onto the tube to Vitoria as the doors where about to close. 40
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“The next train we need isn‟t until 11:09am, so we‟re all set to go.” “No more running?” “No more running.” “Good. I hate running.”
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42
Ant Gray
b Among Us b Angels walk among us all,
There to catch us before we fall.
Through acts of kindness all around, Their love waits to be found.
Gently wiping our tears away, As we face another day.
Angels hold on to our hands
When no one else understands. God sent Angels for everyone,
To guide us ‘til our work is done. They turn struggle into glory, Taking away all the worry. Faith helps us to believe,
The love that we receive. God sent his Angels
To take away our troubles!
b Sharon Cutshall b 2
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Contents Preface The Beginning
Chapter One
Party Time
Chapter Two
The Photographer
Chapter Three
The Conversion
Chapter Four
London City
Chapter Five
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The Story Preface
ust like everybody else on this planet, I wonder about life. I think about what the meaning of life on this planet is, and why we are actually here. I try not to see things this way, but it‟s hard not to. Sometimes, I feel like I am here for a reason, and everybody else is obsolete. Like, I am the lead actor, the world is my stage, and everybody on the planet are the supporting actors, just to aid me in my way to greatness.
J
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Though this seems highly unlikely, I still think this is the destiny I am here for. As I said, I try not to think of myself this way, and see the world as my stage, but when you think you‟re destined for greatness, you get stuck in that mind set, and only aim to achieve that goal. I think, though, before I can achieve this greatness, whatever it may be, I will have to earn it, as every hero, business man, or any other thing I could achieve. I do not believe I should just be giving this gift, I believe I should be put through trials, to prove I‟m worthy of this ultimate prize, my dreams, my destiny...
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The Beginning Chapter One
I
awoke to the buzzing of my alarm clock, and an empty bed. “9:30am? I should still be sleeping!” I whined, as I got out of bed, reluctantly.
My room looked like a typical student‟s room. Lots of clothes on the floor, a brand new guitar that I can‟t play in the corner, and a very bad paint job. I couldn‟t wait to get out of this place. The flat was too small, and I owned far too much stuff to keep in that cramped space. But with money tight, and nowhere else to go, I was stuck there for a while. 6
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I put on the first pair of jeans that I could find, and put on an un-ironed, scruffy looking black shirt, and looked at the tatty bit of paper next to my bed;
“Leon, Sorry I’m not here when you wake up, I promised to meet Chantelle and Sarah this morning
at
9.
Don’t
forget,
you
have
an
interview at 11. I set the alarm for 9:30, so you’ll have plenty of time to get ready and
out. I’ll see you when I get home, I love you xoxoxox” Stephanie, typical. I don‟t know why she leaves a note literally every time she goes out without me. I had to get ready for an interview for 11am, so I started to get ready. After about an hour, I was ready to leave. I had to catch a bus that only comes once an hour, at half past the hour, and it was already 10:25am. I had five minutes to walk a fifteen minute walk. I dislike running, so much it‟s unreal, but I‟m not out of shape, nor am I unfit, but running seems like a chore to run, yet, because of my horrible time keeping, I will have to run, once again, so I set out and left. I missed the bus by seconds. A display of my bad luck. This will mean I‟ve missed the interview for a job I was hoping to get, a placement, wanted by a good number of people in the town, to work in a photography studio, with a professional photographer. This would have been an amazing opportunity for me to get into that industry early on. I knew that by missing this interview, I gave up my placement. I started to walk home, dragging my 7
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feet slowly. I reached my house, finally, after half an hour of walking a fifteen minute walk. Stephanie was back now, and her friend Chantelle was there. Stephanie is a beautiful girl, her short, bright red hair, was especially vivid in the sunlight coming in from the windows, and contrasted highly with her bright blue eyes. The stunning blue, sequined cocktail dress she was wearing was normal dress code for her. I met her in 2005, at a party my friend was hosting. We got talking, had a little too much to drink and before I knew what was going on, we where sharing a bed. And we‟ve been together ever since then. Her friend Chantelle was a strange girl. With long black hair, and a pale face, the contrast makes a strange, but flattering combination. “Hey!!” Stephanie said, more enthusiastically than needed. “You‟ve met Chantelle before right?” Her voice is lush. It‟s gentle, and smooth. I suppose it could be compared to the feeling of silk on your fingertips. “Yeah, I have. It‟s been a while since I saw her though.” I replied. The words where slurred and quite, the result of going to be at 5:15am, and waking up at 9:30am. “I was just telling Chantelle about the party we‟re having here tomorrow night.” Stephanie started blabbering. “I thought we where going to be having it at Mike‟s. He has much more room than us. And we have more breakable things than him” I started whining. “Mike called, said he can‟t have it there now. His parents aren‟t going to see his grandma, so we‟ll have to have it here.” She explained. 8
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“Right, right. I guess we have no choice. I have an exam in the morning though, so you‟ll have to clean the mess up” I told her. I hated cleaning. “I don‟t mind cleaning, it passes the time I spend doing nothing.” “That‟s alright then.” I said, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. I noticed that Chantelle hadn‟t said a word yet. Normally, she‟s very talkative. “I guess you missed your interview.” different voice said. Chantelle.
A
“Yeah, I missed the bus by seconds. I wanted that job a lot.” I replied. “That‟s s shame, should have left earlier.” She said, pointing out the obvious. “Well, I was just about to go now anyway. I‟ll see both of you tomorrow night. Take care” Chantelle walked out of the door, and noisily clambered down the stairs to the front door. The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur, doing the usual playing of video games, talking with Stephanie, eating, and then going to bed. I woke up even more tired than yesterday. I got out of bed slowly and quietly, because Stephanie was still asleep on. I knew I‟d have to spend the day revising for the test I have tomorrow. I looked at the alarm, 8:30am. I‟d only had 5 hours sleep. I should start going to bed at reasonable times. I headed right for the kitchen to make myself some coffee, before I started to revise all day. I wanted to get right on with if after that, but, as always, I couldn‟t find my laptop, due to the poor state of 9
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my room. I dug around for it for about half hour before I finally found it, under my bed. “Why the hell is this here?” I muttered to myself, slightly confused. I set it on the work desk I got specifically for the laptop to be used at, so I wouldn‟t lose it. I‟m good at wasting money. I spent 6 hours straight revising. It was hard to keep focus on something as boring as physics, but it had to be done. I browsed the internet for a while, checking e-mails, social networks, things like that. I searched for jobs in the field of work I‟m most interested in, Photography. I found a lot of results, but none in the town I live in. Luckily though, there are many jobs opening in London, and I‟m going to be moving there with Stephanie when we both finish college this year, so she can study Music Technology at university. I‟m not going to university though. I want the chance to jump right into the industry. So with the breathtaking beauty of a city like London, I can build a portfolio that‟s impressive enough to get me a job. I finally came off my computer, to realize that I‟d not seen Stephanie all day, since I got up anyway. I went into our bedroom, and she was on her laptop, writing up an essay. She looked absolutely stunning; wearing just a red, short cut top, which only covers the top half of her torso, and denim short shorts, which show off her immensely sexy legs. Although any normal person would confuse her for like a model for a short shorts advert, this is what she would describe as “dressing like a slob”. I sat next to her, put my arm around her waist, and we sat and talked until it was time for the party.
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Party Time Chapter Two
I
thought it‟d be best to get the party food sorted out before everyone got here, so I ordered some pizza‟s, and put some chips in the oven. I cleaned the house, for the most part, and then I heard the door bell go. I got up to answer the door, I could hear the voices of people in the hallway outside of my flat. I opened the door to twenty people, all armed with so many different brands of alcohol, a wine shop would be jealous. I said some awkward hello‟s to the people as they entered. The pizza‟s had arrived, the party was jumping, and most of the people where drunk, including Stephanie. I hadn‟t drank much, due to the fact I had exams in the morning, and I‟d been revising all day, to get drunk and forget all I‟d done in the day would have been pure idiocy, so I decided to go for a walk. 12
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I went to the park, to clear my head, but as is always the case on a Thursday night, people where in the park, they can‟t have been much older than sixteen/seventeen, drinking cheap cider, and pretending to be drunk. I made my way over to a bench, out of the way of the „children‟, as I refer to them as. After about 10 minutes, a girl sat next to me on the bench, and started to read a book. I couldn‟t see her face properly in the dull light of the street lamps, but she seems to have a nice slim figure, and long blonde hair. “Hi.” She Chelsea.”
said,
unexpectedly.
“My
name‟s
“Nice to meet you, I‟m Leon.” I replied, with slight disinterest in my voice. “I saw you at the party upstairs. Why did you leave?” She sounded genuinely confused as to why I wasn‟t getting drunk, like everyone else. “Don‟t you drink?” “Oh, no. I do drink. It‟s just I have an exam tomorrow, and I can‟t afford to fail it.” I replied, still just as uninterested, but I didn‟t want to be rude and not answer her. “Oh right, that makes sense I suppose.” It sounded like she‟d noticed the lack of interest in my voice, and was getting bored. “So why are you here, rather then being upstairs getting drunk?” I asked, to keep to conversation flowing. “I‟m waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up, He‟s late, as usual.” She said, sounded more annoyed than anything else now. Her phone answered.
started
ringing,
so, 13
naturally,
she
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“Hello? What you mean? Oh come on! This is stupid, you this every time! Right. Well, I‟ll see you later. Bye.” She seemed pretty angry, I guessed wasn‟t picking her up.
her boyfriend
“He‟s not going to pick me up, say‟s he has „some work to do‟.” She told me, angrily. “How far away do you live?” “It‟s only a half hour walk, I‟ll be fine.” “How about I walk back with you?” “You‟d do that? Thanks a lot!” Her mood seemed to pick up almost instantly. “Yeah, yeah, I have nothing else to do anyway.” The walk to her place was quiet. She only spoke to me when she was telling me what way to go, after about half hour, we‟d reached her place. “Here it is. Want to come in for some coffee?” she asked, politely. “I‟d love to, but I think Stephanie will be wondering where I am by now.” “You’re Steph‟s Leon? Oh, I‟m sorry. I‟d better let you get going.” She sounded startled, scared almost, like she‟d done something wrong. I guessed that she was Stephanie‟s guest, as I didn‟t know her, but, I don‟t believe she could be scared of her. What reason would she have to fear Stephanie? Stephanie is a kind soul, I‟ve been with her long enough to know that she would never hurt anybody. As Chelsea walked into her house, I still stood at the top of the steps to her door, confused about what she said to me. I figured 14
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I had to get back home, I needed to get some sleep, ready for my exam in the morning. Because I was trying to decipher what she meant about Stephanie, it took me twice as long to get back home. When I got back the party was just starting to end. Out of the twenty people who had turned up, only seven where still there. I next to my friend Tony. Tony is a good guy, he does anything for his friends, and goes out of his way to help out a friend in need. Though, when he‟s drunk, he‟s no help to anyone, other than himself. Stephanie was clambering about in our room, so I went in to talk to her. Just as I opened the door, I saw a metal object flying toward me. I couldn‟t see what it was, I ducked before I got hit in the face. “Where the hell have you been!?” She yelled, I‟d never seen her angry like this before. “Whoa! Hold on! What have I...” I tried to ask what was going on, but she threw something else at me. It looked like the clock that I stand on the dresser. “I saw you with that slag!” getting angrier, and louder.
she
shouted,
“Hey! Calm down, let me explain!” I tried to tell her. Between yelling and throwing things, I kept asking her to calm down, and after about 10 minutes of this, she had ran out of things to throw, and started to calm down. “What have I done?” I asked, again. “I saw you in the park, with Chelsea” She said, not really giving an explanation. 15
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“We where just chatting, That‟s all.” I tried to keep her calm. “What about when you disappeared?” She asked. “Her boyfriend was supposed to be picking her up, but he made some excuse and told her he couldn‟t go. So I offered to walk her home, that‟s all that happened.” I explained, hoping she‟d stay calm. “Oh, Well, Ok.” She seemed to be a little speechless for a second. “but why did you leave the party anyway?” she was calm now. “I was being offered too much alcohol, I need to stay sober tonight, for my exam in the morning.” I said, making light conversation. “Right, well it‟s 12:30am, so you‟ll have to get some sleep. I think I heard the others leave, but I‟ll just go check.” She said. Her calm, silky voice gave the effect that nothing had just happened. I got undressed for bed, and climbed into it. I heard Stephanie talking to someone in the living room, then she came back into our room. “Do you mind if Tony stay‟s here tonight?” She asked politely. “No problem, as long as he doesn‟t wake me, it‟s cool.” I told her. She went back out, to tell him he could stay I guess, then came back. She started to undress to get in bed with me. It was hard to focus on going to sleep while I had an unbelievably sexy woman undressing in front of me. And even though she does the same thing every night, I still couldn‟t believe how sexy she is. 16
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“Sleep well, Good luck for tomorrow.” She said, softly. She kissed my forehead, and climbed into bed next to me. I got to sleep faster than is usual for me, and drifted into a dream. I dreamt that I was kissing Chelsea, in the park, on the bench we where sat at. Stephanie walked past us, looking more stunning than usual, but she didn‟t look at us, she didn‟t take any notice that I was kissing another girl. This was the main format for the dream, but we where in different places every time. My flat, by the beach, on the high street, at the train station, and every time, Stephanie walked past, wearing the same green cocktail dress, and not looking at us. I woke up at 7:23am, seven minutes before my alarm was due to go off, and feeling more refreshed than I normally would. I got up and dressed, then turned the alarm clock off before it woke Stephanie. I straightened my long black hair, brushed my teeth, drank some coffee, made some breakfast, and packed all I needed for my final exam. It was 8:30am exactly when I left, It was only as fifteen minute walk to the college from my place, so I had plenty of time to spare. Halfway to the college, it started raining. “Great, this is just what I need.” I moaned. I hate rain, always have, so I picked up the pace, so I wouldn‟t get so wet. I eventually reached the college, five minutes earlier than I expected to be there, and twenty minutes before my exam started. I sat in the common room, got out some books, and stared to skim through the notes I made yesterday. The bell rang for the students to enter the exam room, so I grabbed my things, and walked to the final test I‟ll take at this college. 17
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The test lasted about two hours, and it was a long two hours. I had finished 30 minutes into the exam, and I wasn‟t allowed to leave until the time had finished. During the exam, I noticed Chelsea, from the night before, sitting across the room from me. It was then I got a real look at her face. She had very blonde hair, peachy skin, and a pixie-like face, the exact opposite of what attracts me to a girl. When we where told we could leave, I rushed to the exit, and Chelsea was standing at the door waiting for me. “Hey! I didn‟t know you took physics!” said, she sounded almost excited.
she
“Yeah, it‟s just another A level to me though, I‟m not interested in this stuff.” My attempt at making small talk. “Yeah, same here, I wanted to do a full time hair dressing course, but I didn‟t get the right grades for it, so I had to do A levels instead.” I walked with her to the entrance, where she was greeted by her boyfriend. “Hey, Leon, This is Sam, my boyfriend.” She told me. Sam was a big guy. He was much taller then six feet, and was well built, he must use the gym quite often. He was well tanned, and had a haircut so short the hair may as well have not been there. “Nice to meet you Sam.” I said, just to be polite, but the disinterest in my voice was clear. “Chels, We‟ll have to get going now, I have to be home by twelve. Sorry I can‟t stay and chat Leon, I‟m in a hurry.” 18
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His voice was rough, the sort of voice you‟d expect to hear on a drug dealer. “No problem, some other time maybe?” My voice still plagued with disinterest. He just nodded once, and walked away from me with Chelsea. When I got home, Stephanie had cleaned the entire flat, even the mess that was in the bedroom. I looked on the table in the living room. Another note from her; “Leon, I’ve gone shopping for some food, I think
you’ll have just missed me. There’s a number for
the pizza place on the fridge, and some money with this note, in case you haven’t got your own. Can you take the rubbish out for me, I didn’t have time to do that, sorry. Love you xoxoxox” “Sure, sure.” I muttered to myself. I took the bags out, and washed the few dishes that remained in the kitchen. I was happy that I‟d finally finished college. This meant I will no longer have to revise. So I picked up my digital SLR, a spare battery, and went out to improve my photography portfolio.
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Photographer Chapter Three
had to get the bus to the best place to take some pictures, so I headed for the bus station. I had taken the money Stephanie left for me, and a bottle of water, this is all I‟d need for the day. I got on the number 10 bus to Lincoln, an ideal place for photography, with all the tall, Victorian buildings. I wandered around the city centre, taking pictures of things I found interesting, abnormal, and thinks I liked the look of. I started to walk to the edges of the city, to the small estates scattered over the place.
I
I spent all day in Lincoln, taking as many pictures of the most obscure things I could find. Things like 20
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
odd looking bricks, birds in a water fountain, gum on the back of a bus seat, shop signs, and much more. At about 4pm, I knew it was time to go home, I was sure Stephanie would be wondering where I was by then. I called her to let her know I‟m ok and I‟ll be home soon. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled her number. “Hello?” Her voice always sounds worse on the phone. “Hey Stephanie, it‟s Leon. I‟m just letting you know I‟ll be back home in about an hour.” “Oh, ok.” She sounded surprised for some reason. “Where have you been all day anyway?” “I went to Lincoln to take build up my portfolio. I thought it‟d make sense to get a good portfolio before we go to London, right?” “Yeah, yeah, I guess it does.” She didn‟t sound very interested. I thought I heard someone whispering, it sounded like that person said “who is it?”, but I couldn‟t be too sure, so I asked her. “Is someone there with you?” I asked. “No, why you ask?” she didn‟t sound convincing. “I thought I heard whispering, that‟s all.” “No, nobody whispered. I‟ve been here since about 1pm, not had any visitors.”
alone
I could tell she was lying instantly. I know the tone of her voice slightly changes when she lies. But I let her believe I believed her.
21
Almost Angelic “Oh right, then.”
Ant Gray ok,
could
be
people
on
the
bus
The bus was empty, other than for me and the driver. “Yeah, probably that.” Still lying. “I have to go now anyway, how long did you say you‟ll be?” “About fifty minutes, maybe a little less.” “Ok, I‟ll see you later then” I heard the whispers again. “I really have to go, my phone‟s about to die.” Lying again. “Bye, I love you.” “I lov....” The phone went dead. I tried not to think that someone else was with her, though I knew there was, without a doubt. I knew this day would come eventually, I knew she was for to sexy to not be able to have any guy she wanted, and I was lucky to be the guy she fell in love with, but I knew that was all about to change. Just as I was getting lost in thought, my phone started ringing, so I pulled it out of my pocket and answered it. “Hello?” I said, curiously. “Hey Leon!” I recognised the voice instantly. “It‟s Chelsea!” “Oh, Hi.” number.
I
didn‟t
remember
giving
her
my
“You‟re probably wondering how I got your number, right.” She said, in her cheery voice. “You‟re a mind reader.” I said, sarcastically. “I got it from Tony. He‟s such a nice guy.” She told me. 22
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“Yeah, he is.” I wondered what she was calling me for. “Oh, I just called you to ask what you‟re doing tomorrow.” She said, could she actually read my mind? “I was going to spend the day with Stephanie, but I‟m not sure if that‟s still on to be honest.” I told her. “Why, what‟s wrong?” She asked, an attempt at comforting I guessed. “It‟s too complicated; I‟m going on myself.” I lied.
not
sure
what‟s
“If you ever want to talk, I‟m here for you, just give me a call.” “Thanks, that means a lot.” “I have to go now anyway, talk to you soon. Bye” The phone went dead. The bus came to a halt, in the middle of the country side. The driver approached me. “Sorry son, the ride ends here.” His voice was gentle, and soft, but what he said sounded more like a threat than a statement. “I‟m sorry, what was that?” I asked, confused. “The ride ends here. I‟m sorry, but this is for your own good, and the good of the rest of the world.” He sounded proud of himself, but his words made no sense. He put his hands in his deep looking pockets, and pulled out what seemed to be an old mobile phone. 23
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
The type that had the aerial on the top of it. He pointed it toward me, aerial end facing me. “What do you me-” I was wrong. The mobile phone was actually a taser. The buttons he was clicking, I would assume, where the buttons to function it. I felt the shock go right through my body, and I blacked out.
b
24
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
The Conversion Chapter Four
could hear the beeping of a machine, in sync with my heart beat. Am I in hospital? I thought to myself. I tried to move, but I couldn‟t, my body ached all over.
I
“His name is Leon. I found him last night, beaten and dying in the streets.” A male voice explained, and lied. “I think he will be perfect for our objective.” “What will happen if he turns on us when the process is complete?” A female voice asked.
25
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“I have the tools to destroy him if it is necessary. But I don‟t think it will. I‟ve been watching this one personally; his good will is what makes this one special.” “What if he declines the offer?” the female voice said. “Why would you take the chance of converting him before he knows his objective?” “I know this will work, I have a good feeling about this one.” “You said that about the last three Vaughn! Of all the people, I thought that you would understand my point.” I guessed Vaughn was the name of the male who was speaking. “I do, but we‟re running out of time, and I have to get this done.” “I know there is no time to spare, and everything needs to be done as fast as possible. But taking risks like this can be very dangerous. Even you know that!” “I know, I know.” Vaughn agreed. “But, I have no time at all to spare, asking him would have taken too much time, and if he refused, I would have to find someone who is just as perfect for the job. Do you not see Carmen, this guy is perfect.” “I hope you‟re right Vaughn.” The female sighed, and I heard foot steps walking away from me. A door creaked, and the footsteps got quieter, and quieter. I felt a sharp pain in my left arm. “Don‟t worry, everything will be fine.” Vaughn whispered in my ear. 26
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
I lost all feeling in my body, and fell into a deep slumber. I woke up to the sound of panicked voices from the street, and an empty bed. I rolled to the edge of my bed, but I over shot it and fell off. “Leon! Look!” A familiar male voice said. I looked up, Tony stood in the doorway of my room jabbing his finger at the window. “Look!” He repeated, and pointed finger toward the window again.
his
long
“What is it?” I asked, whilst turning around. I was surprised by what I saw. I huge blimp was in the street, the tail end was just outside of my window “When did this happen?” I asked, confused. I‟d not heard anything fall in the night, and I would normally wake at the smallest bump in the night. I got dressed, and went outside to check out what was going on. It seemed like someone had landed it in the street, not one house had been touched, from what I could see. There where no markings that suggested a crash landing in the road either. I tried to think of when this could possibly have happened, but I didn‟t hear anything in the night. I couldn‟t think of a logical reason why there is a blimp in the street I live on. I was interrupted in my thought when my mobile phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket, and looked at the screen. “Withheld number calling” it stated. I didn‟t normally trust withheld numbers, but I answered it anyway. “Hello?” 27
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“Leon?” An unfamiliar voice asked. “Yeah, who‟s this?” I asked. “I will tell you in all due time. Do you know where you where last night?” I tried to remember. I know I hadn‟t had any alcohol, but I found it hard to remember where I was last night. I concentrated, blocking out all the shouting from the madness in the street. I couldn‟t focus right, or I had no memory of the night before. I focused on trying to remember the day, but that failed also. “Do you?” he asked again “No. I have no daytime either.”
idea.
I
can‟t
remember
the
“Perfect.” He said. “One more thing, does the name Vaughn mean anything to you at all?” He asked. “No, I don‟t know anybody called Vaughn.” “That is all. I will be in contact soon, when the time is right, and your time will come.” “What do yo-” The phone line went dead. I tried to think of someone with the name Vaughn. Vaughn The Menace? That can‟t be it. I couldn‟t think of a single person called Vaughn. I started heading back up the path to my house, when I head a soft female voice say Vaughn. I didn‟t know the voice of the female who spoke those words, yet it sounded familiar. I thought hard about the name Vaughn, but all I could think of was the female voice in my head saying the name, over and over. I 28
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
gave up trying to get the information I wanted form my mind. I went inside to have a shower. By 5pm, the emergency services had removed the blimp from the street, and the chaos of the whole thing had died down. The local news crews had been up, and asked some questions, but I refused to talk to them, as I was confused about the whole thing myself. I went to bed early that night, around 10pm. I was still awake when Stephanie joined me, at 2am. I put my arms round her as she got into bed. “I thought you‟d be asleep by now.” She said, quietly. “I can‟t sleep. I keep thinking that the blimp in the street today was something to do with me.” I told her, just a quiet. “Why would it be? I‟m sure there‟s a reasonable explanation for it.” She knew her silky voice has a calming effect on me, I guess that‟s why she was speaking to me. “I know. But I feel somehow bound to it.” I was getting quieter. “I don‟t know how to stop this feeling. It‟s scaring me.” “Listen to me. It‟s not your fault. How could you be the one responsible for this crazy thing happening?” she sounded like she was almost pleading with me, to see it how she does, and her silky voice won me over. “I guess you‟re right. Thanks.” I kissed her forehead. “I love you.” “I love you too.” She whispered, as I drifted into unconsciousness.
29
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
In the morning, I didn‟t feel as compelled to find out what had really happened yesterday. I guess Stephanie‟s words really did calm me down. I focused on the move we would be making in exactly two weeks time. “Can you believe we‟re moving to London in two weeks?” Stephanie asked me, as I slowly ate my breakfast. “No I can‟t, it‟s going to be great!” My response was muffled by the food in my mouth. “I really can‟t wait. I decided to take a trip down there tomorrow, to get some things sorted out.” She sounded excited. “I was wondering if you‟ll come with me, I hate travelling alone. “Yeah, sure I‟ll come. I have to sort some things out anyway.” “Great! I get some things packed for us both.” She said as she bounced into our bedroom. I rolled my eyes. “Have fun.” I said sarcastically. Two hours later, she‟d finished packing our things, and emerged from the bedroom. “What did you pack?” I asked, bewildered. “A few essentials.” She said, holding a suitcase that was full to the brim, by the look of it. “Stephanie, dear, you‟ve packed enough for a two week holiday. We‟re only going for a night in London.” “I know, I know. I just like to choose. Plus, I have your straighteners and all of my girl 30
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
things too. I packed your clothes in a separate bag, because I had too many of mine in this one.” She said, with a huge smile on her face. “No worries. I like travelling light, though I know I‟ll be carrying your bag too.” “That‟s because you‟re a gentleman” she said, and winked at me. “Yeah, I guess you‟re right. I‟ll need to get some money from the bank too, I don‟t have enough cash on me to pay for the train.” “That‟s alright. There‟s an ATM just over from the train station, conveniently” “If it‟s working, every time I‟ve wanted to use that machine it‟s been broken.” “I‟m sure it‟ll be fine” I started planning out what I‟d do in London while Stephanie was sorting out our living arrangements. I searched for my laptop, having lost it again. I found it under the table I had for it, so I turned it on, and went onto Google Maps. I typed in „London‟ on the main search bar, and then typed „Photography‟ in the find a business bar. I looked at all the results, and visited some of the websites, to see if they could give me any details about any jobs they might have going. None of them where advertising, though I copied the addresses, and added them to a notes list on my phone. “Any luck?” Stephanie said, from behind me. I didn‟t know she was even there. “Not really. Got some addresses, them out when we get there.” “Well, good luck.” 31
I‟ll
check
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
I stopped looking for places after about an hour, as I had enough addresses and phone numbers to last a lifetime. It had been a while since I last checked my e-mails, so I logged into my inbox, and had a sort through. “Free Viagra!”, or a variation of that, was the title of the first twenty three emails I had received. I sent them to the junk folder, and read the more important emails. One from an unknown sender caught my eye. “Leon, I must speak to you. Meet me outside of the book store at 5pm in the town centre on Saturday. I will be wearing a black jacket, and denim jeans, and have a bowler hat on. I have something urgent to tell you.” I thought it was a bit weird that I received an email, from who knows, that didn‟t explain what they actually wanted. I thought it would make sense to go see what he/she wanted. By the time I‟d finished IM‟ing people, and playing mind numbing games, it was 1am. So I thought it‟d make sense to get some sleep, as Stephanie will be eager to go as early as she can in the morning.
b
32
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
London City Chapter Five
A
s is typical with trains, ours was late. I was waiting an extra half hour than what I should have been. But the train finally arrived, and we boarded.
The train ride took three hours, which I think is a long time to be sat on a train. After all the travelling, we finally arrived at London Victoria Station. “I need to get some things done right away. I thought we‟d be earlier than this.” She sounded like whatever needed doing was urgent. “I need some things doing too actually.” lied. “I‟ll meet you at the hotel.” “You remember the address right?” “Yeah, yeah, I have maps if I get lost.” “Okay, I‟ll see you later, I love you.” She kissed me. 33
I
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“I love you too.” She walked out of the train station, and out of sight. I watched her walk away, and I headed for the tube ticket office. I waited for thirty minutes before I got a ticket to Piccadilly. The tube was a fast way to travel, though ever time I use it, I feel uncomfortable. I thought this would be a good time to review my maps. I had circles points of interest with multicoloured marker pens, each colour corresponding to the activity noted in the legend I drew at the bottom of each map. This was what I had Indicated in the key; Red for photography shops, orange for train stations, blue for public toilets, and green for things for tourist attractions. I thought it‟d make sense to get the job hunting out of the way. I headed to a place called Portrait Photographer. It was only a forty five minute walk from the tube station. After taking some pictures of the city, whilst on my way, I reached my destination. I opened the glass doors and walked in. “Good afternoon sir, may I help you?” The man at the counter asked, politely. “Hi. I was wondering if you have any vacancies, or expect to have any within the next two weeks.” “Let me just check.” He typed into his computer on examined the screen thoroughly.
the
counter,
and
“You‟re in luck son. We do have one place going, but we have had some applications already, and as you can imagine, those people have a good portfolio, showing off their work.” “Do you think I‟d have a chance of getting it if I had an impressive portfolio?” 34
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“Sure, we believe in equal opportunities here. Every applicant gets a thorough looking at and examination of their work before we consider taking them. If you e-mail the address on this card,”– he handed me a business card –“I will look at your work and get back to you.” “I have a FlickR account, would you like the address to that instead?” I asked politely. “That would be much better. If you write it on this bit of paper,”-he handed me a small bit of paper and a black „vGrip‟ pen-“I‟ll have a look when I get some time, and let you know my decision.” “Thanks a address.
lot!”
I
said
as
I
wrote
down
my
I left the shop, and visited the next one on the map, a place called I Heart Studios. This was a fair distance from where I was stood, so I called a taxi number I had in my wallet, from my last visit to London. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, and pressed the call button in one swift movement. “Hello, Hoxton Car Services, how my I help?” The friendly voice said. “Hi, I‟d like a taxi from Portrait Photographer to I Heart Studios as soon as you can get one to me.” I heard some following it.
mumbling,
and
a
distorted
voice
“Is ten minutes good for you?” “That‟s perfect, thanks a lot!” The phone line went dead. I put my phone in my pocket, and waited for the taxi. I realized I hadn‟t 35
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
given the shop keeper in this details, so I rushed back inside. “Sorry, I details.”
forgot
to
give
shop
my
contact
you
my
contact
“I was just wondering about that.” “If you call this number, you‟ll get through to me at anytime.” “Okay, thank you.” I rushed back outside, to see my taxi waiting. The ride to the next studio was shorter than I expected, I could have walked that distance. I had similar conversations with the owners of the next three places I visited. In all, the process of finding the places, and talking to the owners, took 4 hours. I had no time to visit tourist spots, so I followed the directions on one of my maps to the hotel I was staying at. “Good evening sir, may I help you?” The receptionist asked me, in a friendly voice. “I have a double room booked, under the name of Stryker.” “I have nothing on the compute, sir.” “It‟s spelt, S-T-R-Y-K-E-R” “Ah, we have a double night, is that right?”
room
booked
for
one
“Yeah, that‟s perfect.” “A Stephanie Mason has already checked in to the room, she said she‟s your girlfriend, is that right?” 36
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“Yeah, that‟s right.” “Okay, here is your key and room number. You are on the fourth floor, the elevators are just behind you.” “Thanks a lot. Good night.” “Good night sir.” I walked over to the elevators, and pressed the button to call it. The wait for the elevator was expectedly short. I took the elevator to the fourth floor, and searched for my room. “406, this is it.” I said to myself. I opened the door, greeted by Stephanie lying on the bed, looking exceptionally stunning. “Wow. You look amazing.” I complimented her. “Please, this.”
you‟ve
seen
me
looking
better
than
“Good point.” I agreed. “Aren‟t you going to kiss your beautiful girlfriend?” she said, and winked at me. “I think I just might.” I walked over to the bed, and climbed onto it. “Did you find what you where looking for?” She asked. “Yeah, I gave my FlickR link, and contact details, so I‟ll hopefully have a job for when we move down here.” She kissed my forehead. 37
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“That‟s good, I secured a job, so if you don‟t get one, we‟ll be good for a while.” “Nice one. Where‟s that at?” “A shop round the corner from the flat. I also got some decorators in to do the flat up. It‟s going to look amazing.” She kissed my lips. I put the TV on, just for background noise. “I‟m going in the shower.” She said. “ok, have fun.” Stephanie went into the bathroom, taking off her clothes as she went, rather than waiting until she was in the bathroom to do so. I flicked through the TV channels, and saw what was on the news. “A blimp was found in the street of a small rural town the other day, eye witnesses say the blimp appeared out of nowhere.” The news woman said. The news then played some recorded clips, of people who, by what I could tell, didn‟t live in the area of which they spoke of. “I saw a big flash of light, and a blimp appeared in the middle or the road!” some woman said. “I was walking down the road, and I saw a flash of light, crashing sound. Next thing I blimp in the middle of the voices man said.
at maybe 10:45am, and heard a loud knew, there was a road.” A hoarse
“Eye witnesses? Yeah, like hell they are.” I muttered to myself. 38
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“What was that?” A silk voice from the bathroom said. “The news, they where talking about the blimp that was in the street the other day. They just had on some eyewitnesses, though I‟ve never seen them people before in my life, and considering our street is never very busy, it seems highly unlikely that these people where there just by chance. Don‟t you agree?” “Yeah, probably paid them to act as eye witnesses, to give the people watching the news some explanation of what went on there, even though there is no explanation, and nobody knows what happened.” I thought about that for a moment. I knew for a fact that the blimp was in the street before 9am. I had already fallen asleep by the time Stephanie came out of the bathroom.
“Leon!” I was woken by the silk voice of Stephanie, and he soft hands that grasped my shoulders, shaking them. “Leon!” “I‟m awake. I‟m awake.” “We‟ve got to check out by 10am, it‟s already 9:30am.” “Right, let me get dressed, and my hair sorted. Half an hour is plenty of time.” I picked out the black shirt Stephanie had packed for me, and a pair of jeans, and put them on quickly. 39
Almost Angelic
Ant Gray
“So, what are we doing today?” “We‟re going doing.”
home,
unless
you
need
anything
“No, no. I‟m good, thanks.” “The next train is at 10:30am. If we get a taxi at 10 exactly, we‟ll make it in time.” “Have you already boo-” “Yeah, I used the number you wrote down for yesterday.” “Ok.” I picked out my hair straighteners, and my hair brush from Stephanie‟s bag. I ran the brush through my hair, to get it in a suitable way for straightening it. I put the red hot prongs to my black, shaggy hair, and started the process of straightening. “Right, I‟m done, let‟s get out of here.” I said as I put the things back in the bag. “Let‟s go!” We picked up out things and headed for the door. We checked out and jumped into the taxi that was waiting for us. “Where to?” “Piccadilly station” “Ok.” The ride in the taxi took 25 minutes. We just got onto the tube to Vitoria as the doors where about to close. 40
Almost Angelic
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“The next train we need isn‟t until 11:09am, so we‟re all set to go.” “No more running?” “No more running.” “Good. I hate running.”
b
41
Almost Angelic
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42
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